I invite you again this evening to turn in your Bibles to 1 Samuel chapter 17. We're looking at the end of the chapter, verses 50 through 58, page 241, if you're using the Bibles in the seats. We're continuing to look for Christ in the Old Testament. We're continuing to look for him through progress and promises. We're continuing to look for him through types and themes. And we're continuing to look for him by comparing and contrasting God's work with his people. The context of 1 Samuel 17, 50 to 58 is, of course, the defeat of Goliath by David. And the particular emphasis in this section is that Goliath's head was removed. The author tells us three times that truth. And since the French Revolution, beheading as an extreme capital punishment has fascinated and terrified us. Recent terrorist beheadings similarly terrify us. Though there are stories of apparent signs of life in a severed head, a paper recently published in the National Library of Medicine concluded this. It said, Apparently there were rumors that circulated during the European consciousness during the terror of the French Revolution, and they said they appeared to be just that, curious urban legends from an awed and terrified public. The conclusion seems to be if you lose your head, no questions asked, you're dead. So let's read from the word of God and consider why God has told us this. 1 Samuel chapter 17 verse 50 through 58. So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone and struck the Philistine and killed him. There was no sword in the hand of David. Then David ran and stood over the Philistine and took his sword and drew it out of his sheath and killed him and cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled. And the men of Israel and Judah rose with a shout and pursued the Philistines as far as Gath and the gates of Ekron so that the wounded Philistines fell on the way from Shearim as far as Gath and Ekron. And the people of Israel came back from chasing the Philistines, and they plundered their camp. And David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put his armor in his tent. As soon as Saul saw David go out against the Philistine, he said to Abner, the commander of the army, Abner, whose son is this youth? And Abner said, as your soul lives, O king, I do not know. And the king said, inquire whose son the boy is. And as soon as David returned from striking down of the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul with the head of the Philistine in his hand. And Saul said to him, whose son are you, young man? And David answered, I am the son of your servant, Jesse, the Bethlehemite. Having heard from God in his word, please join me in your hearts as we seek him in prayer. Our Father in heaven, we pray that we might understand more about your work and more about the work you call us to do. We thank you for the reminder this morning of the champion of the people of God, and we pray that we might see him again this evening. We ask this in Jesus' name, amen. The thing that the author seems to want to stress and make particularly clear is that David really defeated Goliath. He really defeated Goliath. He killed him there in verse 50 with a slung stone. Why did David take five stones? I don't know. He only needed one. But we're told that the stone embedded itself in Goliath's forehead and he fell to his face. And then we're told that David prevailed over the Philistine without a sword. Killed him with a stone. Killed him with a slung stone. And then we're told that he killed him by cutting off his head with Goliath's own sword. Of course, it's impossible to kill someone twice. The fabled nine lives of cats notwithstanding. It does appear in this account that David killed the Philistine twice. While we don't know for certain the mind of God in communicating this through the human author, I think it's not unreasonable to think that the author is communicating that Goliath, while dying from the slung stone, David hastened the process with the giant's own sword. And when Goliath was dead, without a head, the Philistines fled. They didn't honor Goliath's agreement. You remember, Goliath's agreement was, if your champion wins, we'll be your slaves. But they fled. They ran as fast as they could after Goliath was dead. And even though the people of Israel routed the Philistines here at the end of this chapter, They continued, the Philistines continued to fight against God's people throughout the biblical history. But David really defeated Goliath, killed him with a sling stone, killed him by cutting off his head with Goliath's own sword. And perhaps there is in that account this image of dying, you shall die. Dying, you shall die. David killed Goliath, dead, dead. Killed him once, killed him twice. Dying, you shall die. And you might recognize that phrase. It's the command that God gave to Adam in the garden in Genesis 2. Dying, if you eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, dying, you shall die. And it's a feature of the Hebrew language that sometimes they will use the verb twice. Not the noun, that he was dead, dead, but dying, you will die. You shall surely die. And the Bible speaks all throughout its pages about two deaths. The physical death that we will all experience. We attend funerals. We prepare at some point for our own death, but the Bible speaks of an eternal death in hell for all who do not repent and believe the gospel that Christ died for sinners. What is it we say in our culture? There are only two things you can't avoid, death and taxes. Now, some smart people even get out of taxes, but they're still gonna die. Dying, you shall die. And it seems that the human author, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit who carried him, so that what was written here, what we read, is not the word of men, but the very word of God, wants to emphasize that Goliath was dead, really dead. Verse 51, David cut off his head. Verse 54, he took Goliath's head to Jerusalem. And there's a bit of awkwardness to that account because Jerusalem was still at this time under the control of the Jebusites. It isn't until 2 Samuel chapter 5 that David conquers Jerusalem and takes it and makes it the city. So was this a Not a postscript, but a prescript by the author, a historic prescript that David is going to take Goliath's head to Jerusalem. We really don't know. And then we have a little bit of a gruesome picture in verse 57 that David goes with Abner to meet King Saul and he's carrying Goliath's head in his hand. The author, the Holy Spirit, wants us to understand clearly that Goliath is really dead. I asked someone yesterday as we saw a couple animal heads on the wall whether somehow that's what David wanted to do with Goliath's head. I don't know, it seems a bit gross. But the author, the Holy Spirit, wants to emphasize that this powerful giant wasn't as tall as he used to be because his head had been removed from his shoulders. David really defeated Goliath. And of course, in a parallel way, we understand that Jesus really defeated Satan. Jesus really defeated Satan. He defeated him by living by God's word. I mentioned it this morning, but it's emphasized in Jesus's temptation by Satan in the wilderness at the beginning of his earthly ministry. And you can read the details of that in Matthew 4. But three times at least, and again, I suggested this morning, there may have been repeated temptations of the ones we're given, or there may have been others that the Spirit of God did not see fit to give to us. But three times the devil tempted. And three times Jesus replied, it is written. I will do what my father says to do. We have prophesied about Jesus in Psalm 40 about Christ. I delight to do your will. Jesus defeated Satan by living by God's word as he continued to show himself obedient, obedient to the point of death. But he also defeated Satan by rising from the dead. Jesus was really dead when they took him down off the cross. There's no truth to any swoon theory that somehow Jesus just was overcome and the trauma and the terror of crucifixion caused him to faint away. And they took him down as he was in that faint, that state of having fainted, and they put him in the tomb, and the cool air revived him, and he came back to life. He moved that stone that probably would have taken multiple soldiers that was over the entrance to the cave and had been sealed by them. There is no truth to that theory whatsoever. If you hear it, you need to recognize it as a lie of the evil one. Jesus really died. Those who put him to death knew what death was. They plunged that sword into his side and out came blood and water. They didn't need to break his legs, which crucified people would try to push up so they'd get a little bit of air in their lungs as they were suffocating, hanging there by their arms. And they knew they didn't need to do that because Jesus was really dead. Satan had, in fact, as we read in Genesis 3, crushed Jesus' heel. But Jesus crushed Satan's head. Satan is now already, but not yet entirely, defeated by Jesus Christ. He is bound so the gospel has come to the nations. The gospel has come to us. Jesus really defeated Satan. Defeated him by living by God's word. Defeated him by rising from the dead and living in him we shall live. Living in him we shall live. One writer put it this way, when people trust in Jesus What's true of him becomes true of them. Living, we shall live. In Christ, you have died to sin. Galatians, I've been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. In the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. In Christ, if you are a Christian, you have died to sin. In Christ, sin has died in its power over you. Paul writes to the Romans in Romans 6, so you too consider yourselves dead to sin. and alive to God in Christ Jesus. And Paul is not saying imagine that you're this way. That's not what the word consider means. It means realize that you are this way. In Christ, sin has died in its power over you. God's message to his people, as one writer put it, is not you're not yet holy. Work on it till you get there. God's message to his people is you are holy and be what you already are in Christ. Living in him we shall live. So rout the enemy as Israel did after David defeated Goliath. And I believe this is a legitimate application of this account It's not drawn directly from 1 Samuel 17, but I believe it is an application that the narrative suggests, at least in my own study, it suggested to me, because you live, put sin to death. Because you live in Christ, put sin to death. And I don't think it's inappropriate to imagine it this way, off with its head. Off with its head. All throughout the Bible, indwelling sin, sometimes called the old man, is pictured as a living being waging war against the Christian. Kill it. Cut off its head. Paul writes to the Colossians these words. Colossians 3, he says this. Put to death, therefore, what is earthly in you. He's writing to Christians, he's writing to saints, he's writing to those who are in Christ. Put to death, therefore, what is earthly in you. And then he gives some of the details of what might be earthly in you. Sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these, the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked when you were living in them, but now you must put them all away. Anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Put to death. what is earthly in you. And so this image of putting to death sin is an image that's carried throughout the whole of the scripture. And it's an image that, at least to me, was suggested by the author of 1 Samuel's emphasis on Goliath's clear death and the cutting off of his head. One author said it this way in regards to this list from Paul. He said, sex and speech are the features of life that are most out of control. Get rid of it. Get rid of it now. If you are playing with those sinful passions, get rid of them. This writer went on to say, it's not legalism to want to be as holy as Jesus. It's the only sensible thing to desire. Anything else is compromise and unworthy. And this author uses a different image than cutting off the head, but it's not that much different. He says, it's as if Paul were saying, lay your hands on this sin's throat and don't release the pressure until it stops breathing. Off with its head. Another writer says it this way, don't negotiate with your sin. Don't try to manage it. Don't think you've won when you confine your sin to the attic of your soul. Root it out. Give no quarter, show no mercy. John Owen in his account on dealing with sin says this, suppose a man to be a true believer and yet finds in himself a powerful indwelling sin. leading him captive to the law of it, consuming his heart with trouble, perplexing his thoughts, weakening his soul as through the duties of communion with God, disquieting him as to peace, and perhaps defiling his conscience and exposing him to hardening through the deceitfulness of sin. What shall he do? What course shall he take and insist on for the mortification of sin? You probably haven't used the word mortification this week, I don't suspect. It means putting sin to death. The mortification of sin is putting sin to death. And he said this, there's no man that truly sets himself to mortify any sin, but he aims at and intends and desires its utter destruction. that it should leave neither root nor fruit in the heart or life. He would so kill it that it should never move nor stir anymore, cry or call, seduce or tempt to eternity. Its not being is the thing aimed at. And then he goes on to say this, and I think it's very important that we keep this in mind. Unless a man be a believer, a man, woman, a boy or girl, unless a man be a believer, that is one who is truly engrafted into Christ, He can never mortify anyone's sin. This call to put sin to death is a call to Christians. It's a call to those who have seen their champion win the battle, and they're involved in the mop-up. And they're imitating their champion, in a sense, as they seek to put sin to death. John Owen goes on to say this, it is the spirit alone that can mortify sin. He has promised to do it and all other means without him are empty and vain. But Jesus calls us to do that. He calls us in our union with Him and by the help of His Spirit to put sin to death, to take drastic efforts to get rid of sin. He says in Matthew 5, if your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out, throw it away. For it's better that you lose one of your parts of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand caused you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to go to hell. Now, Jesus is not advocating physical mutilation, but he is teaching passionate spiritual warfare against sin. Get rid of it. Cut it off. Tear it out. Off with its head. Romans 8, that begins, there is no condemnation, that ends, there is no separation, has in the middle this call to put sin to death. Because if you live according to the flesh, you're gonna die. But if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. We don't say it like this. I'm a Christian, so I don't have to worry about temptation. What we say is I'm a Christian and because I'm a Christian I don't have to give in to temptation. What might that look like? I'm not gonna try to itemize the sins that you struggle with, and you might need to think about it looking like something other than what I say. But remember, this is because you live in Christ, put sin to death. Try to do this on your own, you'll be just like the Israelites who couldn't fight against Goliath. But if you recognize that Christ has defeated Satan, and in him you live, then in him you can put sin to death. It might mean that you have to avoid certain people or certain places. It might mean that you have to avoid certain books or movies or programs. It might mean that you need to put restrictions around your ordinary, everyday life. Restrictions on your phone or restrictions on your computer, restrictions on your time. It may require you to ask for help, certainly, of God, asking for the help of the Holy Spirit. Even scheduling prayer daily or multiple times a day, it may require you asking other Christians, spiritually mature Christians, to help you. Whatever it takes, whatever it takes, off with sin's head. And instead of offering yourself to unrighteousness, offer your parts as weapons of righteousness. Again, that's what Paul writes. He writes it in Romans 6. Therefore, do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its desires. And do not offer any parts of it to sin as weapons for unrighteousness, but as those who are alive from the dead, offer yourselves to God and all the parts of yourselves to God as weapons for righteousness, for sin will not rule over you, because you are not under law, but are under grace. And so we go into this battle with sin with hope in Christ. Sin doesn't have to defeat me. Temptations don't have to draw me in. I need to offer myself, not to sin, but to righteousness. All my parts, my head, my eyes, my mouth, my hands, my desires and appetites, my feet, offer them as weapons of righteousness. I think perhaps the reason the Holy Spirit, through the human author of 1 Samuel, emphasized how dead, dead Goliath was was to give us a glimpse of what Christ has done in defeating Satan and to give us encouragement that because Christ has defeated Satan, we can defeat individual sins that come against us from the world and the flesh and the devil. The call of the scripture is not try to be someone you're not, but to be who you really are. And if you are in Christ, sin does not rule over you. If you are in Christ, put sin to death. I've used this illustration, maybe, I don't know that I've used it to all of you. But when you think about the need to be who you truly are as a Christian, I'm a diabetic. And I have to remember that I'm a diabetic when I eat. Now I can eat as many sweets as I want to eat, but eventually my body will be broken because of that. And so when I sit down in front of sweets and carbs, and there are probably only three things that I really like, sweets, carbs, and meat. Thankfully I can keep eating meat as a diabetic. But I have to remember who I am. I am a diabetic. And as you fight against sin, as I fight against sin, remember who you are. You are in Christ, who has defeated Satan. And living in Christ, you can and will and must live. And as you live in Christ, you can put sin to death, off with its head. Jesus defeated Satan. In Him, you must cut off sin's head. Pray with me that God would make it so in your lives. Our Father in Heaven, might it be that we draw more and more on the work of Christ? Maybe some here are battling in their own strength against sin, and they will not win unless they battle in the strength of the Spirit of God. Maybe some here are being careless about sin. Maybe they're just thinking, I'll have a little bit of sin. But Lord, would you make us understand how radical Jesus calls us to live against sin? And might it be that in Christ we would, as it were, cut off the head of sin, cut off the head of the old man, cut off the head of those temptations, And draw on the strength of Christ to live in him as we truly are. We pray this in Jesus name.